UN and France condemn escalating drone attacks in Sudan
Drone strikes on civilian infrastructure are disrupting essential services and killing civilians, including children.
The United Nations and France have condemned escalating drone attacks across Sudan, warning of their deadly impact on civilians and damage to critical infrastructure. The French embassy called the recent air strikes entirely unacceptable, wherever they occurred, including Darfur, Khartoum, Abyei, the northern Nile Valley, Kordofan, and Blue Nile. These attacks have killed hundreds of civilians, including many children, within a few days.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that a drone struck a major electricity substation serving Khartoum state on Tuesday, October 27. This followed strikes on power stations in El Gezira, Sennar, and El Gedaref states on Monday, October 26. OCHA cited local authorities reporting extensive damage that threatened the stability of the national electricity grid.
The UN’s Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan warned that expanding drone attacks and a crackdown on civil liberties in El Obeid put civilians at increasing risk. The mission said drone strikes attributed to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) had killed and injured civilians, damaged schools and displacement sites, and disrupted access to healthcare, electricity, and water in the North Kordofan state capital.
Why it mattersCivilians across Sudan, including children, are being killed and injured by drone attacks that also damage essential infrastructure like electricity and water facilities.